Of the many bronze portraits of Hadrian that are known to have existed, only three have survived from antiquity. After the exhibition ‘Hadrian: An Emperor Cast in Bronze’ (see here) held at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem from December 2015 to June 2016, the Musée du Louvre is now inviting us to discover these exceptional… Continue reading Exhibition: Three bronze portraits of Hadrian at the Louvre, Paris
On 27 April 2018, the Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago published on their Facebook page an image of what may be the only extant excerpt of Hadrian's lost autobiography. Written shortly before Hadrian's death, this autobiography appears to have taken the form of a series of letters to Antoninus Pius. ---
In 2014, Rome celebrated the bimillenary of the death of Emperor Augustus who took his last breath aged 75 in his villa in the town of Nola in AD 14. To commemorate this important milestone, the Italian capital launched a series of special events, including the opening of the Villa di Livia in Prima Porta and… Continue reading The Acts of the Arval Brethren of AD 118 (#Hadrian1900)
Art has always been an important part of human existence. Over time, individuals have taken great pleasure from beautiful things and sought to acquire lavish personal collections. The first known cases of individuals seeking to accumulate art collections were in Hellenistic Greece more than 2,000 years ago. The Attalids are usually considered the first art… Continue reading A head of Hadrian from a private art collection on show at Musée du Quai Branly in Paris
An international team, including members of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Palazzo Altemps Museum in Rome and the University of Chicago, used new technologies to make an incredible discovery about two portraits of Antinous. The years of research that led to this discovery were the focus of an exhibition titled "A Portrait of Antinous,… Continue reading Exhibition: ‘A Portrait of Antinous, in Two Parts’ in Rome
This month's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a headless statue of Athena of the Vescovali-Arezzo Type made of Luna marble. The goddess is depicted wrapped in a himation (cloak). She wears her aegis bordered with small snakes over the shoulders. She stands with her left hand resting on her hip and would have carried a spear… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Headless statue of Athena
Hadrian and his travels have often served as the guiding thread for my travels. However, my recent trip to Turkey had a different focus, the Hittite civilization, with one of the highlights being a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara. After dazzling at the magnificent artefacts on display on the museum's main… Continue reading The cuirassed statue of Hadrian from Ancyra’s theatre (Ankara, Turkey)
This month's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a dark grey limestone relief decorated with mythological scenes. The relief was unearthed in 1769 during excavations undertaken by the art dealer and archaeologist Gavin Hamilton who sold it to Lord Lansdowne. The latter was an avid collector of antiquities who owned a fine collection of classical sculptures… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: The Lansdowne Relief
On a recent trip to Southern Spain, I travelled along the Roman Baetica Route and visited many of the archaeological sites and museums that Andalusia has to offer. Among the plethora of ancient treasures to be found in the region, I was particularly impressed by the incredible mosaics I came across. The Roman Baetica Route… Continue reading A guide to the mosaics along the Roman Baetica Route (Spain)
This month's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a marble statue of a dancing female figure, thought to be a portrait of Praxilla of Sikyon. Praxilla was a female poet writing in the mid-fifth century BC. She came from Sikyon, a city situated on a fertile coastal plain beside the Corinthian Gulf in the northeast Peloponnese… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Marble statue of a dancing female figure
